Mr. Clean Brings Franchised Car Wash Concept to Texas

Austin will be site of first location, with 20 more to follow.

Mr. Clean Car Wash will open its first Texas franchise in Round Rock, just outside Austin, by spring 2010, and expects to soon have more than 20 of the car washes in the Lone Star state.

CSNews Online first reported in April 2008 that the consumer products giant was planning to franchise its iconic Mr. Clean brand as a chain of premium car washes aimed at quality-minded auto enthusiasts and on-the-go consumers.Mr. Clean Car Wash is operated by Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of P&G.

The company currently has 16 locations in Georgia and Ohio, with seven more under development in the southeast, Ohio Valley, Chicago and Colorado. With a vision of becoming the country's first national car wash franchise network, Mr. Clean Car Wash is accepting franchise applications nationwide, but is giving special attention and consideration to three Texas markets seven months after announcing its national expansion.

"Texas is an ideal location for our business," said Bruce Arnett Sr., CEO of Mr. Clean Car Wash. "The climate, the size of the markets, the economy—Texas is a big opportunity for us." In addition to Austin, management is targeting Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston for up to 21 car washes combined. "We're serious about Texas and are taking the steps to make our presence there really big, really fast and really successful," Arnett said, adding Mr. Clean Car Washes are aesthetically pleasing for the community. Each car wash will be new construction.

A Mr. Clean Car Wash site selection team recently visited Texas and has looked at nearly 50 potential locations for future car washes. They are already actively pursuing five of those sites that meet the demographics necessary for a successful car wash; others are still under assessment. "While franchisees ultimately select their own site, we work actively with them, leveraging our in-depth consumer knowledge and targeting capabilities," Arnett said. "Location is key, and we are starting to identify some great sites in east Texas." He noted while there has been strong potential franchisee interest, "we're always looking for best-in-class entrepreneurs who are interested in joining with P&G's Mr. Clean brand and our car wash team to build the business in Texas together."

Franchisees have the option to add multiple profit centers to their car wash, making it more of a one-place-service-center. Franchisees also benefit from a support system developed by the Mr. Clean team's 30 years of industry experience and 10 years of franchising experience, as well as marketing expertise in support.

While some might question an expansion in the current economy, Mr. Clean Car Wash finds its business is doing quite well, with double-digit volume and revenue growth in the two units in existence over one year, the company stated. "People are keeping their cars longer, taking better care of them," Arnett said. "You think of Mr. Clean—who for more than 50 years has represented the best in clean to households across the country. With this expansion, entrepreneurs in Texas have an opportunity to be a part of something really special."